The venture studio
Find the path
Launch. Grow. Profit. Exit. We invest capital, build product, and operate shoulder-to-shoulder with founders — from first commit to final signature.
The Venture Path
Lighting the path to bring products to market
Pre-seed capital, a full operating bench, and engineers who build your MVP alongside you. We invest in founders before the world believes them.
15+
Investments
$75M
Raised
Scaffald
A $500k pre-seed raised with our investor syndicate to build a labor procurement and management platform for construction. Vetted in three months, MVP in six, launched Q4 2024.
- Investment
- $500k Pre-Seed
- Operation
- Full C-Suite
- Implementation
- MVP Development
Bowery
A $150k investment of development services took Bowery from proof-of-concept to market. MVP in six months, $6.2M raised the following year — valued over $350M today.
- Investment
- $150k Pre-Seed
- Operation
- Co-Founder & CTO
- Implementation
- MVP Development
The Horn
We bought the Lake George Grocery for $400k, invested $200k more to renovate the historic building, and relaunched it as The Horn — a community hub for artisan goods and cafe fare.
- Investment
- $400k Purchase
- Investment
- $200k Renovation
- Invention
- Product Incubation
ReVision
Advising and incubating since 2020 with a $500k pre-seed commitment. We built and launched the MVP and go-to-market, standing in as interim CTO for fundraising and customer pilots.
- Investment
- $500k Pre-Seed
- Operation
- Interim CTO
- Implementation
- MVP Development
iPondr
Since summer 2020: MVP, an AI patent, and a go-to-market strategy. Discounted development for equity, an interim CTO, and a seat on the board of advisors.
- Investment
- At-Cost Services
- Equity
- Advisory Seat
- Implementation
- MVP Development
Elements
Co-created with one of the largest construction management companies in the U.S. Our $250k investment built an iPad application independently evaluated at $50M.
- Investment
- $250k Seed
- Implementation
- MVP Development
- Invention
- Algorithm & A.I.
Wizard Construction
Northern Michigan needed a reputable general contractor — so we built one. Seeded, spun up, and launched into a market we knew firsthand as customers.
- Investment
- $150k Seed
- Operation
- Interim COO
- Implementation
- Company Spin-Up
The Mane
We purchased Expressions Hair Studio in 2018, then renovated, retrained, and rebranded. Better technology, processes, and branding tripled the value of the business.
- Investment
- $120k Purchase
- Operation
- Interim CEO
- Innovation
- Operational
Radium
An e-learning platform we have built on since 2014 — continuously invested and improved into a best-in-class CMS for media management and workflow integrations.
- Investment
- $500k Pre-Seed
- Operation
- Interim CTO
- Implementation
- MVP Development
The Growth Path
Planning the course to accelerate business growth
Launch and grow through Unicorn's acceleration program. A growing portfolio of wisdom and a talent-in-residence framework that gets you to market.
100+
Customers
$900M
New Revenue
From powering @GoogleMaps on Twitter to experimental prototypes and design sprints — an ongoing development and innovation partner for product and marketing endeavors.
- Machine Learning
- A.I. Twitter Bot
- Creative
- Leading UI/UX
- Innovation
- Cutting-edge Tech
Samsung
A trusted partner on ABM websites and the annual Unpacked event. Dozens of applications built and shipped — with zero downtime.
- Application Scale
- Load Balancing Millions
- Creative Lead
- Embedding with YouTube
- Innovation
- Unique Solutions
Indeed
The Job Seeker Community forums, a UK marketing site, and more — initiatives at the intersection of marketing and tech.
- Application Scale
- Load Balancing Millions
- Creative Lead
- Re-skinning Enterprise
- Strategy
- Community Building
Hilti
Intranet systems, custom web applications, and AI that transformed operating procedures and sales documentation into a digital playbook.
- Distribution
- Connecting Departments
- Creative Lead
- Inventing a Brand
- Strategy
- Building Playbooks
YMCA
A scalable mobile app and web platform that lets local chapters franchise efficiently while keeping technology and branding consistent.
- Distribution
- Connecting Channels
- Creative Lead
- Brand Development
- Implementation
- Mobile & Web Dev
Comcast
A collaboration since spring 2010 — prototypes and product releases that sharpened the sales and marketing engine of the company.
- Distribution
- Creating Channels
- Innovation
- Creating Stickiness
- Implementation
- Mobile & Web Dev
Salesforce
Working together since 2009 — designing and developing UIs and frontend frameworks around the Guide Templating Language and Lightning Design Framework.
- Connectivity
- Platform Development
- Innovation
- Strategy & Alignment
- Implementation
- UI Framework Dev
The Exit Path
Marching forward to exit successfully
Data rooms, diligence, buyer scouting, and succession planning. When it is time to sell, we make the path out as deliberate as the path in.
6+
Exits
$65M
Transacted
Chosen Collective
Founded by college students as a non-profit to build real-world experience, Chosen grew into a full-service ad agency — and sold a few years later.
- Rollup
- Merging Business
- Scouting
- Finding a Buyer
- Acquisition
- Rapid Acquisition
Room 214
In 2023 we helped Room 214 transform and seek acquisition. Thirty days to build a data room; an offer and LOI within two weeks.
- Data Room
- Diligence & Vetting
- Consultation
- Succession Planning
- Scouting
- Finding a Buyer
The Spot
Months of strategy and incremental improvement — digital transformation plus succession planning — carried a struggling retail store to a sale at 8x gross revenue.
- Data Room
- Diligence & Vetting
- Scouting
- Finding a Buyer
- Strategy
- Growing EBITDA
Arrae Creative
A Colorado design agency known for superb e-commerce experiences. In 2017 we found the buyer and closed the exit to a development agency.
- Rollup
- Merging Business
- Scouting
- Finding a Buyer
- Acquisition
- Rapid Acquisition
Ambit Design
We rolled Ambit into an agency acquisition, giving the founder a path to exit — and the chance to level up and keep growing the business with the purchaser.
- Rollup
- Merging Business
- Consultation
- Succession Planning
- Acquisition
- Rapid Acquisition
Not a fund. Not an agency. A studio that builds.
Capital is the easy part. Unicorn puts operators, engineers, and designers inside your company — as co-founders, interim executives, and builders who have shipped for Google, Samsung, and Comcast.
Meet the studio →